Bail-lubricating apparatus.



A. G. FARLBY & W. B. MODONALD- RAIL LUBBIOATING APPARATUS, APPLICATIONFILED APR, 29. 1909.

954,383. Patented Apr.5, 1910.

i A -L l A. U. FARLE Y & W. B. MODONALD. BAIL LUBBIGA'TING APPARATUS.APPLICATION nun APR. 29, 1909.

, 954,383, Patented Apr. 5, 1910.

U. FARLEY & W. B. MCDONALD.

RAIL LUBBIUATING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION IILED APR. 29, 1909.

Patented Apr. 5, 1910.

a snark-mam a.

anoentou UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED C. FARLEY AND WILLIAM B. MQDONALD, 01E SHINGLEHOUSE,PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNORS 0F ONE-THIRD TO LORANIA M. WELLER; SAID FABLEYASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO CHARLES A. WOLCOTT, OF SHINGLEHOUSE,PENNSYLVANIA.

RAIL-LUBRICATING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 5, 1910.

Application filed April 29, 1909. Serial No. 483,058;

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ALFRED C. Fannngr and WILLIAM B. MCDONALD, citizensof the United States, residing at Shinglehousefin the county of Potterand State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements inRail-Lubricating Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an apparatus for use on street cars foroilinlg or lubricating the track rails, particulary at curves or pointswhere considerable friction is engendered between the rails and wheelsof the car, the object of the invention being to, provide a simple andeffective apparatus of this character which may be employed to oil orlubricate the inside railcof the track in either direction of runningmotion of the car, which is mounted for automaticmovement to follow theline of the rail which is being oiled or lubricated, and which is underthe thorough control of the motorman of the car.

With these and other objects in view, the

invention consists of the features of construction, combination andarran ement of parts hereinafter fully descri ed and claimed, referencebeing had to the accompaii ying drawings, in which igure 1 is a sideelevation of a portion of an electric street car equip ed with the raillubricating a paratus. ig. 2 is a trahsverse section t rough the patform' of the car, showing the arrangement of the oil oppositelubricating device turned down to lubricate the adjacent rail. ticalsection 'throu h one end of the reservoir Fig. 5 is a verandtheassociate lubricating device. Fig. (i is, a vertical section on line6-6 of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a vertical transverse section on an enlargedscale, showing the means for pivotally mounting the reservoir upon-t-he'car. H i

ished with oil whencvernecessary an Fig.4 is a sectional Fig. 8 is asectional view of one of the brushes.

Refcrrin to thedrawings, 1 designates the body 0 a street railway car, 2the plat rn1 at one end thereof, and 3 the swivel wheeled truck at suchend of the car, all of which may be of any of the constructions commonlyin use. Arranged transversely beneath the platform 2 is a tank orreservoir 4 adapted to contain the lubricant. The top wall of this tankis provided with a central inlet 5, for the introduction of thelubricant thereto, and secured to said wall is a flanged bracket plate 6having athreaded opening 7 to receive a swivel screw or stud 8 having alower threaded end fitting within said threaded opening 7 and removablyclamped to the bracket 6 by a set screw 9. The up per end of the screw 8is formed with a flange or head 10 to fit within an opening 11 in abearing late 12 secured within an opening in the'p atform 2, as shown inFig. 2. This bearing plate is provided below the opening with an annularsocket 13 receiving an annular series of anti-friction balls 14 arrangedbetween the wall of the socket and the lower round face of thehead 10,by which the swivel screw is mounted to oscillate in the bearing plateto adapt the tank 4 to swing laterally In either direction. The screw isformed with a longitudinal oil feed passa c 15 communicating with theinlet 5 and c osed at its u per endby a threaded plug 16 adapted to l; ymeans of a sp'anner orother suitable kind of tool, so that the reservoirmay be re hen the e inserted and removed feed inlet then closed toprevent the access ofdirt and other foreign substances. The rear endportions of the tank are connected by chains or other flexibleconnections 17 with cushioning springs '18 attached to the cross bar 19of the truck on opposite sides of the pivot thereof, by which thetank'is adapted to swing with the truck when the car is rounding acurve, as heretofore described.

Arranged at the opposite ends of the tank are track lubricatingldevics20 and 21 respectively, which" are adapted to be em- 1) 0 ed for oilingor lubricating the opposite re; s. Each of these devices comprises anelbow shaped pipe or tube 22 embodying an upper horizontal arm 23 and anoblique lower and downwardly and outwardly 1nclined arm J1. The arm 23is closed at its inner end and provided with ail-opening 25 and a flangeiii-outwardly beyond the open ing. That portion of the arm formed withsaid opening and flange serves as a journal and valve mounted to rotatewithin a valve ca ing 97 formed upon an angular bracket 28 wan-d to thelower portion of the end of the reservoir. nut 28' is threaded u on thecasing and surrounds and is flange to engage the flange 2t; to preventoutward movement of said journal and valve. The bracket is provided witha discharge passage 2.) cononnnicating with the casing and with anoutletv 230 in the wall of the reservoir, which outlet passage 29 isadapted to be opened and clo ed by the oscillation of the valve, so thatwhen the discharge pipe or tube depends in a vertical positioncommunication will be established between the tank and tube for thedischarge of oil into the latter, and so that when said tube is turned11 iwardly to a horizontal positlon the flow 0 oil will be cut. oil. Asliding collar or sleeve 31 is mounted upon the lower end of the arm 24and carries a combined key and clamping screw 32 movable in a lonituthnal groove 33 formed in said arm, by w nch said sleeve may betelescopically adjusted on the arm and held from rotary movement. At thelower end of the sleeve is mounted an oil applying device preferably inthe form of a brush adapted to run in contact with the rail, said brushcomprising a plug or head 34 threaded at its upper end into, the sleeve31 and provided with a tapering discharge assage 35. The lower end ofthis plug or ead is formed with a. conical projection 36 through whichthe passa e extends and which is partially surroun ed by an internallythreaded flange 37. The brush bristles 38 are confined at their upperends between the conical projection 36 and 'an externally threadedbushing or clamping ring 39 engaging the flange 37 and havmg'a conicalaperture to receive the p'rojeetion'and clam the bristles firmly againstthe same and :1 wer flange 40 adapted for the engagement of a suitabletool to app] and remove it. The bristles are arranger in an annularseries, the upper ends of which are dlvergently held by the beveledclamping faces, while their lower ends contact and are closely arranged,by which a passage through the center of the up or portion of thebristles is formed for t e feed of the oil, which is taken up andapplied "by the cluster at the ends thereof.

The two lubricating devices constructed as thus described are resectively connected w the lower ends of c aiins or other'suitable egibleeontrolli'fi'g devices 20' M1121- {which pass over forward guide ulleys41 and -12 on the platform 2 and tlence upward over rear guide pulleys41 and 42 and through an opening in the platform, I the upper ends ofsaid chains being extended it) through a guide tube 43 fixed to the patform and connected with the op osite ends of a segmental operating lever' 4' pivotally mounted, as at 1:"), upon the dash or vestibule of theplatform. lhe handle 41; is fixed to the lever against lateral movemeet,but is pivotally connected therewith for movement at ri ht angles to theplane of movement of the ever, so as to be thrown into and out ofengagement with a segmental rack -17 fixed to the ear structure adjacentthereto, whielnrack is formed with an intermediate notch or recess 48and two end notches or recesses 49 and 50 in which the handle is adaptedto tit to hold the lever in three positions of adjustment. When thelever lies in a vertical. position and is en gaged with the nott'h. is,the chains will be disposed to hold both lubricating devices elevatedand out of action, in whirlrposition of said devices their valves willcut oil" comnulnication between the same and the reservoir. When thelever is thrown into enga ement with the notch 40, the lubricating mice21 will be further elevated, while the lubricating device 20 will belowered for operation. 'hen the lever is thrown into engagement with thenotch 50, the lubricating device 20 will be elevated to an inoperativeand cut out position. while the lubricuting device 521 will be loweredfor use as shown in Fig. 1. It will thus be seen that the motormaa ofthe car may at will, and without moving from his customary position,throw both lubricating devices out of action or lower either oneindependently of.

course of travel may lubricate eitherrail.

lowered for lubricating the ri ht hand rail of the track in thedirection of travel of the car, it will be understood that oil from thereservoir will flow through the tube 22 to the brush bristles 38, whichlatter will gage the inner face of the rail and apply t e lubricatingoil thereto, and that when the wheels ofthe truck 3 strike 'a curve thechains 17 will be adjusted to swing the reservoir so as to maintain thebrush in contact with said rail, as indicated clearly in Fig. -3. Whenthe lubricating device 20 is ele vated, and the lubricating device 21e-' pressed for use, as shown in Fig. 4, the brush with the inner faceof the 0 posite rail, and the apparatus will beaeoatgoll and chains inlike manner' fo maintain said the other for action, sothat the car may,travel without lubricating the rails or in its" carried by said devicewill travel in contact,

In operation, assuming the device 20 to be ed by the truck device inengagement; with its rail when the car is rounding a curve in theopposite direction.

Itwill be seen from the fore oing description thatthe invention provi esa lubricating apparatus which may be mounted upon the front of a car ina convenient and effect ivemanner forlubricataing the rails to reducefriction at the desired points, and that said device is simple ofconstruction, may be inexpensively applied and em )loyed, and

, is under the thorough control the motorman. The platform at each endof the car may be provided with a swivel bearing of the characterdescribed, so that by simply detaching the tank from the bearlng at oneend it may be ap lied to the hearing at the opposite end of t e car foruse, thus securing convenience in lubricating thetrack rails in carsystems unprovided WltlLlOOPS at the ends of the route.

Having thus full described the invention, what is claime as new, is

1. In a track lubricating device for cars, the combination, with a car,of a reservoir pivoted to the car to swing laterally thereof,

ubricating devices communicatin with the reservoir, means for throwingsmd devices into and out of action, and means connecting the reservoirwith the adjacentcartruck to cause'said lubricating devices to followthe line bf the rails.

2. In a lubricating device for cars, the combination, with a car, of anoil reservoir pivoted for lateral movement upon the car, pivoted lubricatin devices provided with controlling valves or the flow of: oilthereto, means for throwing either of said devices into and out ofoperative position,and means for securing them in such positions.

3. In a track lubricating device for cars, the combination, with a car,of an oil rescrvoir pivoted for lateral movemcnhupon the car,lubricating devices pivotally mounted upon the reservoir so as to beraised and lowered from an operative to an inoperative position and viceversa, said devices having valves coo' crating therewith to regulate theflow 0? oil thereto, and operatin con nections alternately throwing saidevices into and out of action or' both devices out of action andsecuring the'sa ne in such positions.

4. In a track lubricating apparatus for cars, the combination, with acar, of a reservoir pivotally mounted for lateral moveinent upon thecar, lubricating devices pivotally mounted upon the reservoir for movement from a vertical operative to a horizontal inoperative position andhaving valves associated therewith for throwing said devices into andout of communication with said reservoir, means for throwing saiddevices into and out of action, and means connecting said reservoirwiththe adjacent truck of the car to re late the pivotal movement of thereservoir to cause the devices to follow the line of the rails.

5. In a track lubricating device for cars, the combination, with a car,of a reservoir pivotally mounted for lateral movement on the car, valvedlubricating devices comprising pivoted tubes mounted upon the reservoirand provided with brushes, means for throwing said devices into and outof action, and means for connecting the reservoir with the adjacent cartruck to adjust said reservoir to maintain contact between the actingbrush and the rail.

6. In a track lubricating device for cars, the combination, with a car,of a reservoir pivoted for lateral movement on the car, valvedlubricating devices pivotally mount ed on the reservoir and embodyingconducting tubes having brushes, a' movable lever upon the car,connections between said lever and the lubricating devices to hold bothout of action or alternately throw them into and out of action, andconnecting means between the reservoir and the truck of the car to swingthe reservoir to maintain contact between the acting brush and the rail.

7. In a rail lubricating device for cars, the combination, with a car,of a reservoir pivoted for lateralmovement upon the car,

valved lubricating devices e nbodying 0on truck of the car to adapt theacting brush to follow the line of thetrack.

8. In a track lubricating apparatus for cars, the combination, with acar, of a reservoir pivoted for lateral movement on the car, lubricatingdevices comprising conducting tubes having valves pivotally connectedwith the reservoir and carrying adjustable brushes at their outer ends,means for throwing said devices into and out of action and ponnectionsbetween the reservoir an car t ruck for swingin said reservoir to maitalin engagement between the acting brush and the track. I j

'9. A track lubricating apparatus for cars comprisin "an oil reservoir,a lubricating device em odying a conducting tube having a" valve memberpivotally connected with the reservoir a lubricating device at the outerend of said tube, means for swinging the tube to throw it into and outof action, and

'means for controlling said tube from a car truck to cause it to followthe line of a rail.

10. A track lubricati'n device for cars comprising a reservoir, aubricating device embodying a conducting tube having avalve pun-(ionpivulally cnnnecbed with the resermir, an extension sleeve u on saidtube, a lillnit'lliillg member carrie by the sleeve, mmmr for throwingthe tube into and out of o 'ierutive position, and means for controllingsaid tube from a car truck to cause it in follow the line of a rail.

In testimony whereof we afiix our signatures in presenee, of twowitnesses.

ALFRED C. FARLEY.

WILLIAM B. MCDONALD. Witnesses:

O. A. Woworr, G. B. Soon.

